The Legend of Ulenspiegel Volume I Part 46

"'I hope as much, my sweet Lord, for I confessed myself,' replied the Emperor Charles.

"'And thou, Claes?' said Christ, 'thou dost not tremble as doth this emperor.'

"'My Lord Jesus,' answered Claes, 'there is no soul that is clean; I am not, therefore, afraid of Thee who art the supreme good and the supreme justice, but withal I fear for my sins that were many.'

"'Speak, carrion,' said the angel, addressing the Emperor.

"'I, Lord,' replied Charles in an embarra.s.sed voice, 'being anointed by the finger of Thy priests, I was consecrated King of Castile, Emperor of Germany, and King of the Romans. I had ever at heart the preservation of the power that cometh from Thee, and to that end I wrought by the rope, by the steel, by the pit, and by the fire against all them of the reform."

"But the angel:

"'Belly-aching liar,' said he, 'thou wouldst fain deceive us. Thou didst tolerate the reformers in Germany, because thou wast afeard of them, and had them beheaded, burned, hanged, and buried alive in the Low Countries, where thou hadst no fear save not to inherit enough from these toiling bees so rich in plenteous honey. A hundred thousand souls perished by thy doing, not because thou didst love Christ, monseigneur, but because thou wast a despot, tyrant, devourer of countries, loving but thyself, and after thyself, meats, fishes, wines, and beers, for thou wast as great a glutton as any dog, and thirsty as a sponge.'

"'And thou, Claes, speak,' said Christ.

"But the angel, standing up:

"'This one hath naught to say. He was good, hard-working like the poor Flanders folk, willing to toil and willing to laugh, keeping the faith he owed his princes and believing that his princes would keep the faith they owed to him. He had money, he was accused, and as he had harboured one of the reformed, he was burned alive.'

"'Ah,' said Mary, 'poor martyr, but there are in heaven cool springs, fountains of milk, and choice wine that will refresh thee, and I will myself lead thee to them, coalman!'

"The trumpet of the angel sounded again, and I saw arising from the depths of the abyss a man naked and beautiful, with a crown of iron. And on the round of the crown were inscribed these words: 'Dark until the day of doom!'

"He drew near to the throne and said to Christ:

"'I am thy slave until I am thy master.'

"'Satan,' said Mary, 'a day shall come when there will be no more slaves or masters, and when Christ who is love, Satan who is pride, will signify: Might and Knowledge.'

"'Woman,' said Satan, 'thou art fair and kind.'

"Then speaking to Christ, and pointing to the Emperor:

"'What is to be done with this one?' said he.

"Christ replied:

"'Thou shalt put the crowned worm in a chamber where thou shalt collect all the implements of torment used during his reign. Each time a wretched, innocent man endureth the torment of the water, which bloweth men up like bladders; of the candles, that burneth the soles of the feet and the armpits; the strappado, which breaketh the limbs; the riving asunder by four galleys; every time a free soul gives up its last breath on the fire, he must undergo all these deaths in turn, all these tortures, that he may learn what evil may be wrought by an unjust man that hath at command millions of his fellow men: let him rot in gaols, die upon scaffolds, groan in exile far from his own country; let him be dishonoured, shamefully entreated, scourged; let him be rich and harried by the treasury; let informers bring accusations against him, and confiscations ruin him. Thou shalt make of him an a.s.s, that he may be meek, ill treated, and ill fed; a poor man, that he may ask for alms and be greeted with insults; a worker that he may toil too much and eat too little; then when he shall have suffered sorely in his man's body and soul, thou shalt turn him into a dog, that he may be friendly, and be beaten; a slave in the Indies, that he may be sold by auction; a soldier, that he may fight for another man and be slain without knowing wherefore. And when, at the end of three hundred years, he will thus have gone through every form of suffering, every distress, thou shalt make a free man of him, and if in this condition he is good as was Claes, thou shalt give his body eternal repose, in a spot shaded at noon, visited by the sun in the morning, under a goodly tree, and covered by a cool verdant sward. And his friends will come to shed their tears of grief upon his tomb, and sow violets, the blossoms of remembrance.'

"'Pardon, my son,' said Mary, 'he knew not what he did, for power hardeneth the heart.'

"'There is no pardon,' said Christ.

"'Ah!' said His Sacred Majesty, 'if only I had a gla.s.s of Andalusian wine!'

"'Come,' said Satan, 'past is the time of wine, of meats and fowls.'

"And he bore away to the uttermost deeps of h.e.l.l the soul of the poor emperor, still munching his fragment of anchovy.

"Satan for pity left it to him. Then I saw Madame the Virgin leading Claes to the highest height of heaven, there where was naught but stars hanging like cl.u.s.ters of grapes to the vaulted roof. And there angels laved him and he became handsome and young. Then they gave him rystpap to eat, in silver spoons. And heaven closed again."

"He is in glory," said the widow.

"The ashes beat against my heart," said Ulenspiegel.

Lx.x.x

During the next three and twenty days Katheline grew white, and thin, drying up as though she were devoured by a fire within more consuming than the fire of madness.

She said no longer: "The fire! Make a hole: the soul would fain escape," but ever in ecstasy and delight she would say to Nele: "Spouse am I: spouse thou art to be. Handsome; long hair; hot love; knees cold and cold arms!"

And Soetkin looked on her grieving, for she thought this some new madness.

Katheline continued:

"Thrice three make nine, the sacred number. He that in the night hath eyes shining as a cat's alone seeth the mystery."

One night Soetkin, hearing her, made a movement of doubting.

But Katheline:

"Four and three," said she, "misfortune under Saturn; under Venus, the marriage number. Cold arms! Cold knees! Heart of fire!"

Soetkin made answer:

"It is not well to speak of wicked heathen idols."

Hearing which Katheline made the sign of the cross and said:

"Blessed be the gray horseman. Nele must have a husband, a handsome husband carrying a sword, a black husband with a shining face."

"Aye," said Ulenspiegel, "a frica.s.see of husbands for which I shall make the sauce with my knife."

Nele looked at her friend with eyes all moist for the pleasure of seeing him so jealous.

"I want no husband," said she.

Katheline replied:

"When he that is clad in gray shall come, ever booted and spurred in another fashion."

Soetkin said:

"Pray to G.o.d for the poor madwife."